This specification relates generally to support devices. More particularly, the disclosure pertains to contoured pillows that are adjustable by a user.
Pillows are often used to support a part of a user's body during sleeping or resting. For example, pillows may be employed while sleeping on a bed or lying down on a couch to support a user's head, knees or legs.
Pillows for supporting knees and/or legs are used to help avoid putting unnecessary strain on the hip joint and lower back while a user is lying on his or her side. In addition, use of a properly supportive knee pillow may help in keeping the spine in proper alignment.
Unfortunately, conventional knee pillows are not adjustable. Such pillows typically consist of a fabric cover having a soft stuffing or filling therein. The cover is typically sealed such that a user is unable to access the filling contained therein to adjust the height of the pillow. Accordingly, a user of these pillows may need to purchase a new pillow if they change their resting position preference any time after a pillow purchase.
A number of adjustable pillows found in the prior art allow for pillow inserts or layers to be placed inside a pillowcase or shell. For example, U.S. Patent App. Pub. No. 2013/0263377; U.S. Pat. No. 5,953,777; and U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2012/0073056 disclose customizable pillows having several inserts that can be placed inside a shell to adjust the thickness of the pillow. However, these references disclose conventional pillows for supporting the head while sleeping or resting. None of the references disclose an adjustable knee pillow having concave-shaped inserts to conform to a user's knees. Moreover, these references do not teach the use of multiple inserts made from materials of differing shape, height, density and/or firmness.
There is therefore a need for an adjustable knee pillow that allows a user to add or remove one or more internal support pieces to increase or decrease the height of the pillow. It would be beneficial if such a pillow included multiple inserts made from materials of differing firmness to allow for optimum conformation to a user's knees or legs.